October 1st will bring a change to the way electricity is priced in Dominica, and for customers, understanding when electricity is used could become increasingly important.
The IRC’s newly installed Board of Commissioners has approved the tariff arising from the DOMLEC Rate Review. Executive Director Justinn Kase said approving the tariff was the Board’s first order of business, with DOMLEC now responsible for putting the new structure into effect from October 1, 2026.
Before implementation, DOMLEC is expected to carry out public relations and outreach activities so customers can become familiar with the changes before they begin appearing on electricity bills.
One feature deserves particular attention: off-peak electricity use. Kase explained that the new tariff structure gives customers a degree of flexibility to shift certain electrical loads into off-peak periods, when a lower tariff applies. For households and businesses able to change when some electricity-intensive activities are carried out, this creates another opportunity to manage monthly costs.
The actual effect will, of course, vary. A customer’s overall demand, consumption and the periods in which that demand occurs will continue to influence the final bill.
Approval of the tariff also starts another job for the IRC: checking whether it works as anticipated.
The Commission intends to monitor customer bills from this period through the end of the year and potentially longer. The exercise will examine whether the expected impact is appearing on bills while also determining whether DOMLEC is achieving the revenue targets established through the Rate Review.
That follow-up matters because a tariff review is ultimately tested outside the consultation room. Customers experience it through the bills they receive each month.
For Kase, affordability remains central to that work. The aim, he said, is to navigate the electricity market in a way that allows customers to afford electricity while contributing to a better quality of life in Dominica.
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